La Vie Bohème: Petra + Tim's Chic French Destination Wedding

From the Temperly wedding dress, to the phenomenal château wedding venue and sun soaked outdoor ceremony, Tim and Petra's French destination wedding will have you dreaming of summer. Combining a "boheme chic look" and totally relaxed vibeTim and Petra's wedding photographed by This Modern Love is everything and more you could want from a relaxed wedding celebration. As Petra describes the wedding..."Very little formalities, more time for having fun, drinking and eating!" Sounds just about perfect to me...

Petra fills us in on how they first met..."Tim and I met at a business lunch 9 years ago. He thought I was too tall and I thought he had quite an unusual face...! 9 months later we got together at an industry event (Tim was a bit of a player – but somehow we've managed to stay together!) Here is what our celebrant read at wedding reception: Tim and Petra first met at work in 2007, when Tim invited his new client out for lunch so he could ‘get to know her’. They both made an instant impression on each other. Tim’s first thoughts were: “wow – striking”…and…“bloody hell, she’s tall!” Whereas Petra was more like: “Mmmm unusual face…but cute.” They didn’t start dating until a few months later, but had to keep it on the down low because of work. Their colleagues soon cottoned on however...The biggest giveaway being that Petra stopped wearing high heels."

Once together they soon realised they loved spending every moment together. Petra recounts the proposal, as told at by their wedding celebrant..."While getting married was something they both wanted Tim made the honourable decision to blow Petra away with a romantic proposal. Unfortunately, his plan to pop the question with a bottle of champagne at the top of The Shard was somewhat overshadowed by a horde of Japanese tourists taking pictures from every corner of the room. Thinking on his feet, he attempted to change location to one of the other bars, but was denied entry thanks to his trainers! He eventually managed to save the day by booking a table at the Mandarin Oriental, and finally proposed with a very eloquent: “So babe, do you fancy it?” "

Petra of course said yes, and they began to plan a stunning destination wedding in France. Petra lists their top wedding priorities..."Our day was as much about our guests as it was for us. Everything we did was with them in mind. We wanted a beautiful authentic location, and gorgeous local wine and food. Because we asked all our friends and family to travel, we really wanted them to feel like they were in a special place and having the most amazing time."

Choosing an authentic venue that they loved wasn't easy, as Petra explains..."We actually picked it from a PDF document, out of about 20 places! The fact that it was a beautiful authentic place was important (origins dating back to XIVth century, it’s listed as a historic monument.) We also wanted one single location for the ceremony/dinning/party – to avoid the stress of moving people around and enjoying every single minute."

To compliment the chic, relaxed nature of their destination wedding Petra chose an impeccably stylish Temperley wedding dress - which she styled perfectly with loose flowing hair and natural makeup.

Embracing the holiday feel of the wedding Petra and Tim included very little formalities, and instead relished in good food, fabulous wine and brilliant company. "We wanted a boheme chic look and a relaxed day for us and all our guests. Very little formalities, more time for having fun, drinking and eating!"

After dining Petra, Tim and guests then relaxed on the Chateau lawns and captured some stunning portraits just before sunset with This Modern Love.

A huge congrats to you both, and thanks so much for sharing your destination wedding day with us all!

A big thank you also goes to Tim and Claire of This Modern Love for sharing their work with us. To see more This Modern Love visit www.thismodernlove.co.uk